IIT Madras, LTI collaborate to innovate in 5G space

NEW DELHI: Larsen and Toubro Infotech (LTI) on Thursday said it has partnered with the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras for collaborative research in the field of 5G. Through this collaboration, LTI and IIT Madras aim to innovate in the emerging 5G space and enable 5G frameworks validation, low-frequency RF deployments and use case testing with 5G testbed, a regulatory filing said.

As part of this partnership, LTI and IIT Madras will promote research towards the development of a low-cost, low-frequency 5G network setup for better connectivity in rural India, it added. The key objective of this effort is to create a 5G base station and single-box solution to enable rural connectivity. LTI will work closely with IIT Madras to design these low-cost base stations and networks for rural connectivity. LTI will also provide expertise for research capabilities and offer relevant infrastructure support for this initiative, the filing said.

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LTI Chief Operating Officer and Executive Board Member Nachiket Deshpande said 5G promises to facilitate the next level of innovation to build a smarter society, but it is important to ensure that these benefits reach every part of the country. "LTI's partnership with IIT Madras reflects our commitment to leverage this technology to connect people from remote parts of India in a better way,” Deshpande added.

This project is part of LTI's 1step CSR programme and reflects its commitment to promoting research and innovation (SDG 9 - industry, innovation, and infrastructure). Through its support for the development of an indigenous 5G network, this partnership is also aligned with the government's 'Make-in-India' initiative.

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Professor Mahesh Panchagnula, Dean (Alumni and Corporate Relations) at IIT Madras, said IITM's 5G testbed project is an effort to encourage Indian startups and the industry to take an early lead in 5G. "The goal of the project is to build a testbed that closely resembles a real-world 5G deployment,” he added. Radha Krishna Ganti, Assistant Professor (Department of Electrical Engineering) at IIT Madras and Principal Investigator for the CSR project, said 5G technology has immense potential and could prove to be the best option to bridge the digital divide in India. For evolved urban areas, it will help advance and enhance the benefits of digital technologies over a faster connectivity network, Ganti explained. "Our core strength of academic excellence will provide the right partnership platform needed to contribute towards these digital goals of our nation. We look forward to our collaboration with LTI and aim to create a positive impact for society at large," Ganti said.

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LTI will also work with IIT Madras to build and validate use cases leveraging the 5G testbed for application in multiple domains like smart manufacturing, industry 4.0, smart cities and media, the filing said. These efforts are aimed at building a cutting edge 5G framework and enabling end customers to leverage the 5G infrastructure in accelerating their digital transformation journey, it added.